Busia County: Gov’t distributes 400,000 free Robusta seedlings to revamp coffee farms

BUSIA, May 30, 2025 — The Government of Kenya has issued 400,000 free coffee robusta seedlings to boost coffee farming and production in Busia County.

Cabinet Secretary [CS]Wycliffe Oparanya stated days ago while distributing the seedlings that the move will encourage more farmers to venture into coffee farming and restore the country’s former glory in coffee production.

Oparanya cited Ethiopia as the leading coffee producing country in Africa with approximately 400,000 metric tonnes, Uganda as the second, and Kenya as the third.

He noted that Kenya was a leading country in coffee production since 1963, but the production took a downward trend during the early 1990s.

He blamed poor management of farmer cooperatives and unscrupulous brokers within the country’s coffee sector for the decline. The government has come up with new laws to ensure proper management within the coffee sector and is ready to support farmers.

In 2023/2024, Busia County produced 39,580 kilogrammes of coffee, Bungoma 2,362,630kgs, Kakamega 33,470kgs, Vihiga 6,600, and Siaya 1500kgs within the Western Kenya region.

‘‘The government is committed to establishing coffee milling plants in each of the 33 counties that practice coffee farming within the country. The existing coffee bill will ensure that farmers get their rightful pay, and farmers will be paid within five days instead of waiting for three months,’’ Oparanya.

The CS advised farmers to embrace good crop husbandry to harvest as high as 50kg per coffee plant. Two youth from each of the 35 wards in Busia County will be trained by Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union [KPCU] on coffee husbandry, after which they will guide farmers on good practices in growing their coffee. He assured local farmers of a ready market through KPCU that will transport the produce to the Nairobi stock exchange.

The government has set aside Kshs 8 billion as cherry fund to assist small scale farmers with advance payment at the rate of Shs 40 per kilo delivered to the coffee mill before the coffee is auctioned.

The CS urged Busia County Government to avail at least 100 acres of land that can be set up for the coffee research institute so that Robusta coffee research can be done in the county.

Busia County Deputy Governor Arthur Odera confirmed that the county has enough land that can be used to construct a coffee research center and set up a coffee nursery for Busia County to be supplier of the seedlings in the entire region of western. He also urged farmers to plant coffee to benefit more.

Busia Robusta Coffee Growers Chairman Leonard Murai commended government for the initiative, adding that the seedlings will improve the production of coffee in the county.

Murai shred that coffee price has been increasing compared to when they started, calling on the government to continue supporting them.

https://thecooperator.news/co-operative-bank-of-kenya-posts-7-5-percent-rise-in-pre-tax-profit/

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